iloveflapjacks23

Hi Give up all hopes of finding a bargain over here mate, get your money out and get used to keeping it out.

Be carful buying a cheap car in the states with a dodgy bill of sale. I know people who have had trouble when they've got a genuine receipt after they picked up a bargain and the Canadian customs have got themselves on Ebay, believe the vehicle is worth loads more and taxed them what they think is an appropriate amount, regardless of what was paid.

R I C H

That's a pretty defeatist attitude. There are good deals out there, you just have to be patient and diligent in your research. Sure, if you try to compare used prices to the UK you might feel everything is more expensive here, but it's not the UK, get used to a different marketplace and work within the local parameters - prices are just relative to what's available locally.

mandymoochops

you can normally find a minivan on kijiji for about $1000 if you don't value your street cred

Also (although know it won't help you right now) but try joining a local FB buy and sell site for the srea you will be moving to. People sell their old beaters on there and you can pick up something for the $1000 mark.

I would agree with RICH though, forget the "cheap runaround for 200 quid with 3 months t and t still on it" scenario. That doesn't happen.

paolob99

Yesterday, I despised my Ford Mondeo rep mobile...

45 mpg, all the gadgets, dull, practical and reliable

after digesting this thread, it's the best car in the world

the amount of mid 90's clutter with 250k plus miles not only still for sale, but for $2000 is sheer madness

I am happy with a beater, but there are limits...

dbd33

otoh, the whippet ate the minor controls of my 2007 Beetle. The rear seat exfoliated, the body flexes so the windscreen is always cracked, it has rust holes you can poke fingers through, it's gone 190,000 miles and the automatic now changes with an audible clunk at improbable moments. It doesn't even look properly flaming anymore.

And yet, it's still worth $7,000 in trade. Low prices are only good if you're not selling.

JonboyE

RICH is right though, it is a different market. One of our vehicles is a 90s model. It has slept in a garage all of its life and been regularly maintained. It works perfectly well. The only reason to buy a new one would be to impress the neighbours. Which it wouldn't. They would think I was an idiot.

If a vehicle is expected to last 20 years then, when it is 15 years old, it still has a quarter of it life left.

Atlantic Xpat

That may be the case in Van but over here on the rusty, salty, damp East Coast, I don't believe many vehicles are going to last 20 years. My Suzuki SUV which just got "retired" and scrapped was 9 years old. It was rusting from the inside out (salty footwells) & had developed steering problems. It was also likely to need a timing chain replacement & the A/C didn't work. All in all, it was beyond economic repair.

It's really changed my perspective on vehicle purchasing/leasing. Now I am all about the short-medium term lease, remaining under warranty and giving it back before it starts to go wrong. I also think your time in life and circumstances plays a part. With a young family, I'm less interested in driving around some rusty "beater". I know that I have to find a monthly payment, and shop around for the best deal but it's pure consumption in the same manner as food, clothing etc.

Former Lancastrian

I found this article interesting but how accurate is it?
http://www.moneysmartsblog.com/buyin...o-think-about/

So we all know a car depreciates in value but by how much a year?
Some suggest that as soon as you drive it off the lot it loses 20% of its value.
Some say your car depreciates as much as 10% each year so if thats the case a 10 year old vehicle should be worth NOTHING

dbd33

This makes a lot of sense to me. I started leasing because, at that time, there was a tax advantage. I carried on leasing because my ex drove the cars and I didn't want to have to deal with her and I especially didn't want a phone call inviting me to rescue her when the car broke down; a long string of leased Exploders and Escapes provided transport without hassle at a cost reasonable to me.

Novocastrian

+1. I tend to buy my car new and trade it in at the end of the warranty period. I usually lease the other one for the OH because she used to be self-employed and could deduct transport from income. Either way, I'm never out of warranty and the perhaps higher costs are a small price to pay for not having to bother about either of them. They're just necessary evils after all.